pulsing/strobe vision

Topic:

I had a breakthrough seizure a couple of days ago. Since then, I have
had this or strobe like pulsing in my vision. I can't really describe
it. Has anyone had a symptom like this before?? Sleep deprivation is a
major problem and usually leads to a seizure no matter how medicated. I
have had this symptom prior to a seizure after a few days without sleep
before but never on a continuous basis and never after the seizure. My
sleep has been ok so this is a first. It's more annoying than anything
and kind of makes me want to yak but it's something new and I'm a
little concerned.

Comments

I have a flashing light in my left eye since my car accident. That is when my seizures started. I am not certain it is the same, but I find it annoying. I have stopped reporting problems as I do not think the doctors at Kaiser take them seriously. They only have 8 minutes to spend and I think they are sleeping or too confused with the patient load to even know who they are listening to from room to room. I think we need to find as many resources as possible that are reliable outside our HMO insurance. The quality of care at my HMO is terrible at best. It is designed for the healthy and not as a delivery system of real health care for those that need it most. If you find out something, please share, I would like to know what is causing this symptom.

I'll definitely let you know what my doc says. I should be able to get in his office next week. I've had 2 breakthrough seizures in the past 3 1/2 months after almost 2 years as well as new symptoms including the eye thing and a dramatic increase in myoclonic jerks. . Yell at me if you don't hear from me. My memory is not what it used to be.

I'm actually getting decent coverage from a PPO. I'm on COBRA so I don't know what will happen when that particular insurance runs out. I've never had to buy insurance on my own instead of going through the company I work(ed) for. Will I HAVE to disclose my condition? I know this is going to cost a fortune. No way I'm telling them I work for a pyrotechnics company. Epileptic firing heavy explosives. No, no, no....

I know what you mean about employers and insurance issues. I am so afraid of the insurance issue. I am appling for insurance for my company, since I will hiring employees. I think it will be null. However, for me to get healthcare if my husband's union does not renegotiate a contract with Kaiser, which is now the topic of debate, who will insure me. I do not think that I will be considered insurable by an HMO. My life Insurance company if it goes belly up and I need to look for another, that will no longer be possible and I have children. This is a terrible place to be, yet society and doctors act as though it is no big deal. They only see broken bones as something tangible that can be prosecuted in a court of law as personal injury directly related to an accident. I never had a lesion on my brain before, I never had seizures. I was a competent, over-achiever. Now, I must double check myself all the time. Last Friday, the car in front of me lost the treat on its tire and it hit the front of my car causing my car to swerve across lanes and the tire tread as well as other debris along the side of the lanes hit the front of my car and under my car. I immediately gained control and dragged the tread and debris leaving it neating in a lane, not causing it to fly. I saw the car with no tire left and two large trucks pull over at a yellow freeway phone to the right shoulder. I knew they were safe and I had a tight agenda and continued on and thought that I would stop at the insurance office. Within moments or even seconds of that thought, I completely forgot about the accident began to feel ill and forgot everything. Went home and slept for the entire weekend until Sunday afternoon, when I remembered the accident. I wrote to my neurologist because they had just changed my medication dosage and to a generic brande. He suggested I that the incident was indeed traumatic and that I contact psychiatry. I really think sometimes that male doctors have a predisposition to believe that all females suffer from are hormonal imbalances. I must wonder when a male comes in presenting the same symptoms what crosses their minds. A real case or a hormonal imbalance. Or, perhaps within the eight moments they are allowed to make a diagnosis the best they can do is pass the buck off to another department. I believe to a degree to survive our healthcare system breakdown we must be capable of self-diagnosis and keep track of everything doctors are prescribing for us. I have medications that clearly state they should not be taken with a specific other medication that is also prescribed for me. When I ask I am told the benefits outweigh the risks. If that is true, why don't I feel better. Of course, the answer is always here is a referral to psychiatry. I hope you have better luck than I have and let me know your findings, as I am just frustrated and ready to move along with my life and call it a new part of my life that I deal with, like aging, or wearing glasses. Perhaps it will cure itself with time.

Who knows, I wish there were some answers to my questions. I like answers. Having an endless list of questions without answers is frustrating. It is like a failure analysis without the proper equipment needed to perform the necessary tests on the specimens to prove the theory.

The memory thing is interesting. I have a lot of problems with that. I'll get in my car to leave and pull back in the driveway because I forgot something. I'll go inside to do or get whatever. Son of a.... I forgot. I can just walk from my bedroom to the kitchen and can't figure out why. I always just chocked it up to smoking too much dope in high school / college. It didn't really start till I started having seizures. Just one of the issues I have to deal with now. I wish I could separate whether or not these things have fried my brain or if it's just getting older. I know the shakes didn't start until very soon after the first one. My finger dexterity has suffered which can be a problem for a guitar player. Used to be a competitive shooter as well but ya can't shoot goo with the shakes. I haven't played on stage in years. I don't even go to more than 4 or 5 concerts a year. (dramatic decrease). I lost the drive for some reason and that used to be something I lived for. Now I have horrible bouts with suicidal depression. Docs have said bipolar, chem imbalance, yada yada... I just can't see it. I was always a happy, fairly outgoing person. Unfortunately, I'll probably never know because my insurance will not cover outpatient mental health and only 5 days of inpatient. I'm not going to take anti-depressants. I take enough garbage as it is and shake like a leaf. It's so frustrating because I have a few different docs. The neuro for epilepsy, neurosurgeon for a bunch of ruptured discs in my back, another for vertigo (probably from year of pyro explosions and loud music), insomnia and just general issues. None of them talk to each other so I get so confused about my health and can't help but think a lot of it stems from this disorder. "Here take this courtesy of the American Pharmaceutical Assoc. It'll make that symptom better but cause this so take this pill for that." and so on... I definitely know what you mean about the docs passing the buck. It's almost like they simply don't want to help with any issues other than what I originally came in for.

It seems like I'm getting hit with a lot of new health issues and I'm scheduled to leave for Central / South America for about 6 weeks of fireworks shows. I'm scared to death because I'm not getting answers and that isn't the place to be trying new meds. I do not want to have to go to a Nicaraguan hospital. =0

Speaking of memory... I don't remember what point I was trying to make here. Just turned into me bitching. Sorry 'bout that.